My World Begins With You
by Knight-Dawn
Summary: "A dream of you in a world without you." Riku knows something is missing, something important, and as he takes his Mark of Mastery exam he plans to find out what it is, no matter what it costs him. He'd give everything he has to save her... Once he remembers who "she" is. Xion's still waiting for a certain someone to save her even as she takes destiny into her own hands. RikuShi.


[My World Begins With You]

[Prologue: Missing]

…

"_You coming home with us, Riku?"_

"_...Nah. You go on, Sora. I'll catch up later."_

"_Okay."_

…

Riku couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. He was happy to be home, happy that his friends are safe and the mistakes he made in the past have been forgiven...

...Yet, some part of him still wasn't satisfied, wasn't _complete_.

Sora and Kairi seemed to fall right back into old patterns, hanging out, laughing, having fun... The only real difference was that, occasionally, they'd sit a little closer than they used to. Hold hands, even. It was only to be expected, really. Riku had always known they'd end up together—in fact, that was the biggest reason he'd never really made a move on Kairi when they were younger. He'd known better.

It was harder for Riku to return to this kind of life than it was for them. His old patterns and dreams were not things he wanted to return to—they'd only gotten him in trouble, he was glad to be shed of them. The worlds were open to him now, he didn't have to dream about going to them anymore.

So, he had to find new patterns to follow, new dreams to explore.

That's what brought him to the paupu tree each evening, where he would stare out into the clear, shallow water surrounding the island. The sound of the waves crashing against the sand would endlessly fill his mind as he watched the sun set over the ocean. He'd let his mind go blank, allow his thoughts to wander.

He'd been doing this a lot since he came home from his adventuring. Exactly _why_ he wanted to, though, he wasn't sure. The sound soothed him, somehow. Calmed him.

He liked to listen to the waves.

He'd missed the sound more than he thought he would when he was gone. That's right, the guy who saw the islands as nothing more than a prison when he was a child actually _missed_ the sound of the tide. Who would've guessed? Not him, that's for sure.

Something about it made him feel strange, though. The whispering sound called out to part of him, deep inside, and filled him with a sweet, empty ache.

It had become a familiar feeling, if not exactly pleasant.

The worst part was that he couldn't even begin to figure it out. He felt empty, alone, like something was _gone_ from him that _should be there_. And, despite his attempts, Riku couldn't figure out what it was.

Riku traced the lines of the paupu tree with his hand, closing his eyes. Letting the feeling fill him, surround him, wash over him like the waves washing over the shore...

...But he still couldn't remember what it was that he was missing.

…

Xion stared out at the stars from the bench in the Land of Departure, lost in thought. It was something she enjoyed doing, stargazing, dreaming about the days in her past that she'd loved the best.

It was all she could allow herself to dream of, since dreaming of the future was something that only made her sad. She had no future; she barely even had a _past_.

She'd known what her fate would be for a while before she met it, but she'd never thought it would be so painful. She thought she could live with... well, with not being alive. Not being allowed to exist.

But, truly, it hurt to think about. Her best friends, Roxas and Axel, only remembered her after they'd joined her here, in the dream-worlds. And though Axel still was adamant on finding a way out, she had given up.

Even if someone could save her, no one would.

She hadn't just been killed, she'd been destroyed. Even memories of her didn't exist—the moments she remembered so fondly had been forgotten by those she'd spent them with. That was what hurt her the most, knowing that no one ever even _thought _of her.

So Xion stared out at the stars, remembering the past, and trying not to let her thoughts wander down that road. It didn't always work, though.

She wanted someone to save her, to bring her home.

"Xion?"

She perked up at the sound of his voice, turned around with a smile. "Hey, Riku. How are you?"

Riku—or rather, Riku's replica—sat down beside her with a slight frown. "Okay, I guess. Yourself?"

Xion sighed, turning away. "Fine."

He frowned at her, looking up at the stars. "...Xion, I know what you're thinking about."

"Oh, do you really?" She couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice completely.

"Yeah, actually," he muttered, "...I do. You want to go back. It's okay to want that, Xion. I'd live my own life, too, if I could. Axel thinks it's possible."

"Not for me," Xion muttered. "I can't go back, not ever. And even if I could, who'd bother looking for me? Face it, Riku. I'm stuck here. Permanently."

"Maybe not," Riku's replica sighed, standing up and looking at the girl one more time before he walked away.

Xion turned to watch him go, wondering if what he said could possibly be true.

After all, there was one person out there who she'd known quite well. She couldn't imagine that he could forget her entirely—they'd spent too much time together for him to not notice the gap in his memories, right?

Xion looked up at the stars, wondering.

"Is it true, Riku? Do you ever miss me?"

…

As he tied his boat up on the dock near his house, Riku swore he heard someone say something.

The voice was there one moment, then it was gone.

Riku stood up straight and glanced up at the stars before he shook his head.

"Must've been the wind..."

In his heart, though, he knew someone was calling.

And in his heart, he knew exactly who she was.

...

**Author: **So, as promised in my author's notes in my drabble-fic "Two Hearts," here's the fic RikuShi fans have been waiting for: A full-length, post KHII story featuring the pairing!

The only warnings I'd give for this one are that it will have spoilers for the real KH3D as it goes on (especially toward the end) and will have spoilers for The World Ends With You as well, since I incorporate many elements from that game into this story. Most of it is speculation, though, and it does diverge greatly from the plot of 3D even though it leads to a similar place.

The focus is going to be on Riku and Xion, though Sora and others will have roles in this too.

Enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated! ^-^


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